Strongest of the Senshi
by Shinjuku
Summary: Who's da best senshi? Part one of a very short story that will prove the best of the best, and why. Part 1 is kinda boring p.2 will b better!
1. Invitation to the Battle...

Strongest of the Senshi part.1

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I'll finish my other stories soon. ^_^ But I've been busy… This is a fairly short story that will finally prove the strongest of the sailor senshi. There are quite a few, but for different reasons. Okay, here's da story:

The inner senshi had just destroyed yet another youma in front of the Crown Arcade, & the reporters had just been flocking towards the senshi faster than Usagi running towards a fully stocked candy shop. But now, about ten minutes later, the 5 girls were detransformed and leaning in front of the shrine. Oh yeah, Rei and Usagi happened to be fighting…

"They haven't been quarreling for quite some time," Ami remarked, gazing at the two girls, "It's too bad they've seemed to end their record."

"Yeah, really!" Minako replied, scratching out and violently erasing marks on her chart. It seemed to be a score chart on the arguments between Rei and Usagi. "They were great! Lasted for a month and a half!"

Makoto just stared into space. If they wanted to fight, hey, whatever floats their boat. She opened her half-eaten lunch and munched on some leftover sushi. 

"But I did too finish that youma!!! Moondusted it!" Usagi then stuck out her tongue. "Yeah?" Rei protested, "WE had to do all the work before! You barely mentioned us to those nosey reporters!" 

"Hey," Makoto said. This ceased the fighting and everyone gave her full attention. "Why don't we ever get to finish the youma off? We usually need Sailor Moon to do that."

"Yeah…" all the girls said in awe. Then all evil glances stared straight at a worried-looking Usagi.

"Umm…" Usagi mumbled, "I-it's all…LUNA'S FAULT! Y-yeah, HER!" she exclaimed, pointing at the two terrified cats.

"Traitor…" Luna murmured. 

"Yo…chill everybody…," Artemis said as calmly as he could. (Although it didn't work)

"Hey!" Luna shouted. "It's Queen Serenity's fault! Really!" 

Everyone agreed to this. Rei was about to say something, but luckily for Usagi, she never got the chance, because then a young, blond-haired man with dark sunglasses shoved a flyer in Usagi's face. He basically looked like a cute reporter.

"You look just like the sailor senshi!" He smirked before saying, "I suggest you should all enter this competition!" 

Usagi looked at the paper, then began to read:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

"Compitition: Who is the best sailor senshi in Tokyo? 

Judged by skill, dress, and strength! Only the best will win! All who believe in their power, and want to prove their worth are recommended to join! Will be held at Nightstar Arena @ noon tomorrow! Prepare for combat! "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was small print at the bottom, but Usagi was too excited to notice and doubted it was very important anyway. When everyone looked up the man was gone.

"Wow! We'll be the best!" Minako shouted, "Especially in dress! I can't wait!"

"But…" Ami started, "Won't we have to fight…_eachother_?!"

"It'll be fun!" Makoto replied. 

"Maybe we'll change decisions on leader too…" Rei said quietly, glancing at Usagi. 

"Woohoo!" Usagi shouted joyfully, "Let's invite everyone else too!"

NEXT DAY, 10:00am:

In the end the party attending the competition consisted of the following:

All 5 inners, all 4 outers, All 3 starlights, Sailor Chibimoon, & even Tuxedo Kamen. 

They were all ready to go…little did they know the details…

Bad Guy's Hideout (What an original name…)

Jedite smiled evily after telling the other generals his plan to zap the senshi's energy. "So, what do you think? I hope you don't mind me being the host."

"Not at all," Zoicite, "I think it will be quite amusing." Then he laughed his famous laugh.

"Sounds perfect to me." Kunzite added approving. 

***NOTES: Neflite isn't here, the generals sent the traitor to the human world, to be with his New-York accent Naru (Molly). Queen Beryl was stomped to negadust after being reborn. That blob-looking queen from manga that controlled her died too. And Zoicite is a guy in this 'fic, cause he's really cool as a guy, you'd know if you've seen the Japanese version! 

What is in store for the senshi???? Will they be destroyed in this Negaverse trap?! Stay tuned for Strongest of the Senshi, part two! 

PREVIEW: _Usagi raises her arm. "Moon Eternal Make-Up!" Hotaru nods and does the same: "Saturn Planet Power, Make-Up!" And then… "What?! It won't work…? What happened?!" Usagi looks up to see the source of a wicked laughter… _

****


	2. The Battle Begins!

Strongest of the Senshipart.2

We see the inners, Mamoru, Chibiusa and Hotaru walk towards the arena.

"Yea! This should be fun! Especially if I win with you Mamoru!" Chibiusa said happily. She, Mamoru, and Hotaru walked in front of everyone else. 

"We'll kick Usagi's butt!" 

Usagi made a face at Chibiusa before tugging Mamoru towards her. 

"No way!" Usagi exclaimed proudly, "If we get to work in pairs in the second round, I'll be with Mamochan!"

"Yeah right!"

"Wanna bet, brat?"

"You're on, Moon Mama!"

"Don't call me that! It's almost as bad as…that name you guys used to call me!"

"Odango Atama!"

"Shutup Rei!" Usagi said as Rei musically sang "Odango Atama".

"I'll toast ya to fried meatballs, chew ya up and spit ya out!" Rei threatened.

"Yeah, right!" Usagi taunted…

And the fighting went on…

Secretly, Sailor Animate Pewter Fox crept behind them. The generals had advised her to spy for them.

"How annoying," she muttered, partially cover her ears, "They fight like small children! They'll definitely settle their differences on the battlefield!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the inner senshi and friends finally reached the arena, the outer senshi, starlights and ChibiChibi were either seated or waiting or filling out a registration sheet. When everyone was finished, they sat in front row seats of the bleachers. Suddenly they heard the screeching of a microphone, and looked up towards a balcony. There was a blond-haired man looking much like the reporter they earlier confronted; a man with orange hair in a ponytail and a wicked smile; a blue-haired man with shoulder-length hair; and a lady with pinkish hair in points (think Catsy's hairdo). They all looked like they were in their twenties and looked very familiar. "Thank you all your attending this competition! There are no rules except to fight fair-no cheating! Try your best. All winners will form a new group of senshi, and have a new leader, if desired. Now, Round 1! Usagi vs.… Minako!"

Usagi and Minako stepped up to the center. They stared at eachother before speaking.

"Even if one of us gets really beaten up, we'll still be friends, right?" Usagi asked.

"Sure!" Minako said giving a "V" sign with her fingers. "But no matter what, I'll fight my best! Don't feel bad after I kick your butt…anyone would probably lose against me."

"What?! Usagi shouted, "You'll be moondusted after I'm through with ya! Prepare to be defeated in the name of the moon!"

"Bring it on, Blondie!"

"Hey, Minako…um…you're blond too."

*Sweatdrops* "Uh, oh well. Let's get this over with."

"_Moon Eternal Make-Up_!" Minako nodded at Usagi's gesture and did the same. "_Venus Crystal Power, Make-Up_!" But…nothing happened?! They gave each other a surprised glance. 

"Hey, What's going on?!" Usagi shouted. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Jedite fiddled with the controls in the small room behind the extended balcony. As Zoicite approached him, he was flicking switches and pressing various buttons.

"So…how's it going?" Zoicite asked, admiring Jedite's effort.

"Good-well, everything's working okay…" Jedite murmured, as he vigorously worked.

"What's the point of this machine anyway?" 

"There." Jedite said, getting out of his kneeling position. "It will easily suck the powers of those stupid senshi! Now that the leader of the group has tried to transform, all the other senshi's powers will be drained away too. This reaction occurs because more than twice the senshi have donated their energy to the leader, Sailor Moon."

"Oh, my. What an excellent plan, it must have taken a lot of work. We'll have the the energy of all the senshi without difficulty."

"I'm not sure about the Sailor Starlights and Tuxedo Crapmen though…" Jedite pondered, as he thought of the annoying masked jerk whom with his stupid, idiotic speeches, always got in his way.

"Forget him. I wanna see the battle! Come on." 

"Okay."

Kunzite was extremely jealous as he watched Zoicite and Jedite walked out of the room together.

__

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Usagi looked above her at the sound of an evil laughter.

"Zoicite! I realized have known this was a trick!"

Zoicite continued to laugh. "Oh, really? You don't seem to notice anything else that's going on around you!"

Usagi made a face.

"Well, anyway," Zoicite continued, "This was supposed to be a battle of true strengths! Now let's see how powerful you are without your dumb wand!"

Then, with a flurry of cherry blossom petals, Zoicite disappeared.

"Okay! Let's go!" Minako shouted energetically.

"Go? You mean…fight? Like this?! No way!" Usagi protested.

"Why not? We are the most experienced, we know moves other than our powers!"

"I DON'T WANNA!!!!!! THIS ISN'T FAIR!!!! I WANT OUT!!!" Usagi screamed before beginning to cry.

"Shut your mouth! Wake up, Sailor Moon!" Minako cried out.

"Oh yeah? What can you do? Feed me that disgusting porridge you made when I was sick?"

"SAILOR V KICK! HIYA!" With that battle cry, Minako ran towards Usagi with an attempted kick much like her Sailor V one. Usagi began to whine. 

"What can I do? Mamochan!"

Suddenly a masked figure comes to Usagi's side. 

"Use our power, Usako." And with a delicate kiss, Usagi instantly stops crying and appears in a Princess Serenity fuku. In Usagi's hands appeared the star shaped locket.

"Our love can vanquish anything! Thank you, Mamochan. Try beating this, Minako! _Silver…Moonlight…Romance_!"

Minako was able to dodge the first blasts, but suddenly a golden rose pricked her ankle. This caused her to stop, and was hit by a large blast of light. When the dust cleared, she lay there, with her clothes wrinkled and torn, and a deep gash in her ankle.

"Minako!" Usagi shouted, "Join us! On round 3! We get to battle in teams, you'll be much more powerful!"

Mamoru walked over to see if Minako was okay. Her kneeled beside her, and lifted her gently.

"Mamoru…I do agree with Usagi that…"

Mamoru smiled as Minako paused.

"I'll be more powerful!" With that, Minako directed her knee with force where it hurt on Mamoru. Mamoru stumbled away, and Usagi looked at this scene with horror. 

"Artemis!" Minako called. "Help me!"

Then white cat appeared on Minako's shoulder, and handed her 2 items-the transformation pen and the crescent moon compact.

"_Moon Power…Transform!_" It's…Sailor V? Sailor V appears with a grin. "Yeah! Thanks a lot Artemis! Code name: Sailor V! The soldier of justice, the sailor-suited beautiful soldier. I am Sailor Venus!"

"B-but that's not fair! Hey! I didn't know you could still be Sailor V!" Usagi cried.

"Well, I guess I can be Sailor V! Prepare for battle, it's time for my revenge! _Sailor-V Chop!_" Sailor V slams Mamoru down with a chop before running over to an upset Usagi.

"I'll pay you back for what ya did to poor Mamochan!" She shuts her eyes and sets her fingers on the center of the locket, then slowly brings up her hand and puts it on her forehead. Then she begins to cry. "_Sonic Cry_!" Her cry shook the arena, and Sailor V covers her ears and screamed from the pain. Minako slowly gets up, and walks forward. 

With much effort she finally calls out "_Rolling Screw…Sailor-V PUNCH_! _Sailor-V CHOP!_ " The punch knocks Usagi down, ceasing the horrid cry. "I…will not…lose!" Usagi stammered, before Sailor V was about to wave the final victory sign. With all her inner strength, she shouts, "I am Princess Serenity! With my final shot, take this!" 

Sailor V turns around, but not fast enough…and feels a sudden, shocking pain in her shoulder. A silver, heavily thorned, glittering rose remains stabbed in Minako's upper back. Sailor V collapses. Usagi stands up and waves to a surprised crowd. 

Sailor V is still on the ground, yet she ponders various thoughts:

"_Oh, how I wish I could win…not once I misbehave to the princess, yet it ends this way. Perhaps Rei was right. She never hid her feelings about Serenity. But I did. Once more, I want to prove myself to her, the moon princess. The inners are weaklings! We cannot fight our own battles, go into battle successfully, or continue a meeting, without Usagi! I have learned to get along with her, but she is not experienced…like me. I try so hard, for a boyfriend, for a chance at leader, but I get neither, thanks to Usagi! She is so lucky! She doesn't even realize it! Now I'm acting like Rei…L _"

Usagi cheered. "Alright! I won! Even without my wand!" Then she remembered Mamoru, as he walked towards her.

"Good job, Usako. That was great." Then he kissed her. "Hey, I need to sit down. See you." Then Mamoru walked over to the bleachers to rest.

Nobody seemed to notice as a bright light hit Usagi, making her fall instantly. As the dust from the blast had almost cleared, Artemis dashed over to Minako. 

"Here. You blasted her! Now get up girl, you win!"

"I…what?"

"^_^ Just get up! Nobody will know I really did! You win!"

"Oh, Artemis!^_^"

Sailor V stood up, with a broad smile. In her left hand she held the cresent moon compact…in the other hand, she held Artemis!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Yea for Sailor V! That's it for now! Stay tuned for a preview of next time's events!"

PREVIEW:

__

"Next match! Ami vs. Makoto!" the announcer called out. 

"Oh no!" Makoto thought, "Not Amichan! How can I stand fighting her? She's one of my best friends!" "I can't let her lose! Everyone will expect me to win!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What will Makoto do? Who will be the victor in the next 'exciting' chapter of "Strongest of the Senshi, part 3"?


	3. Ami's Hidden Power

Strongest of the Senshipart 3

Makoto ran over to her friend, Sailor V, who was just stumbling out of the arena, a concerned Artemis draped around her shoulders. She was bruised and cut, and many parts of her outfit were torn. She was smiling happily though, a smile that would make you think Minako had a date with the cutest dude on the block. 

"Are you okay?" a shocked Makoto asked.

"With that face the answer isn't so obvious…" Artemis murmured, looking at Minako's large smile, odd for someone who almost got killed.

"I WON!" Minako cried happily, and quickly raised her hand in the air to do her victory sign.

"Ya sure did…" Makoto replied. After inspecting her wounds, she told Minako to lie down. "Ami can help you, I'm sure. I'd try, but I'm not the one who's training to be a doctor."

In a few moments, Ami was looking over the hurt Minako. 

"Wow," Ami exclaimed, "You have some really deep wounds. You've been burned too…It looks serious."

"Will I be alright?" Minako asked quietly.

Makoto grimaced at even the possibility of Minako dying, or even having to stay in the hospital for a while. They had been close friends, especially when it came to boy hunting and shopping.

"Oh, yes, I'm positive." Ami assured. "But…I don't know if _I_ can really help you. I'm not an official doctor, and it would take too long for a usual recovery…"

"Oh. I see…" Minako said, looking over at Makoto. "Have any suggestions, Makoto?"

"Um…" Makoto bit her lip in thought. "Oh, duh!" she said suddenly, "Sailor Moon!"

"Oh, Duh!" Minako said in a mimic of Makoto, "_She_ just beat me up, and _I_ _won_ the battle against her. I don't think she's gonna heal me right now."

"I wish there was something I could do…" Ami said, "I want to be able to heal people…If only I was more experienced." She sighed.

"Don't take it too harsh, Ami." Makoto said. "I know Minako is in a lot of pain…but, uh, she can hopefully pull through."

"Yeah…" Minako said, wincing as she attempted to lift her leg.

Ami nodded, although she didn't really agree. She then stood up from her seat on one of the bleachers, and then paced in thought. There wasn't a lot of time before the next battle began. She noticed Hotaru, and called to her. Hotaru walked over to Ami, along with Rei, from her spot with the other outer senshi. Chibiusa had gone to see if Usagi was okay.

"What is it, Ami?" Hotaru asked.

"Minako needs healing." Ami said, looking over her shoulder at Minako. Then she turned back to Hotaru with worry. "Soon. She can't wait much longer. Can you do it for her? Please, Hotaru."

Hotaru silently looked towards the ground before replying, "No, I'm sorry. I don't have enough power now."

"She was helping Usagi recover, with the small energy she has at a time." Rei explained. 

"What?!" Ami asked, shocked. "But Usagi has the power of healing!"

"I know," Rei said, "And I thought that Mamoru's 'romantic' kisses were magic or something, they _always_ make her feel better! It's not like there's reason for him to hesitate, after all the times he's done it!" Rei glared at the couple sitting on the far bleachers.

"She doesn't use it on herself, that would be wrong. I healed her, and Mamoru helped, I think." Hotaru explained. "He had to recover a little also. That one attack they did together took a lot of his energy."

"Well, if you or Usagi can't help, what should I do?" Ami asked.

Rei shrugged, saying, "You'll figure it out Ami," she assured her, "It'll be okay."

Hotaru nodded, and Rei went over to sit with Minako and Makoto.

There was a silence, and Ami walked off. Away from the others, she sat down, her head lowered. 

"Why am I so helpless?" she asked herself. "If I'm a doctor, I should be able to help people. Why can't I? I wish I could…if only I had the power. The hospital is so far off from here!" A thought popped in her mind. Why _was _the hospital so far off? This was arena for sports and stuff, so shouldn't a medical center nearby? She shook her head, making her mind focus on the problem she had right now. Ami thought some more, but no ideas came to her. Her eyes were misty as tears of frustration and failure fell down her cheeks. All at once she felt powerless, afraid, and weak.

__

What if Minako…dies? She's losing more blood as time moves on… AsAmi thought, she realized she hadn't mentioned this to the girls-Minako could die from losing such large amounts of blood. Her serious injuries didn't help either. _I'll feel awful if it happens…she didn't have a lot of blood left, as she donates blood often…ever since that time she's tried to prove she has a pure heart. What am I going to do? I can let Minako stay that way…_

Suddenly, there was a flash of blue light. A small 'fairy' sized version of Sailor Mercury floated in the air. 

"Hello, Sailor Mercury!" It greeted to the surprised Ami. "I'm your Sailor Power Guardian!"

Ami wasn't sure what to say at first, but then asked, "Um…Have you come to help Minako?" 

"Well," began the guardian, "I've come to help you. For your need to be able to help those who need it, and because you're a devoted, hard worker, I give you this gift."

She murmured something under her breath. _A spell! _Ami thought to herself. 

A sparkling blue magic danced between her fingers. The guardian released it, and gave it to Ami. Instantly it dissolved into Ami as soon as she touched it. Ami felt as the new power filled her with energy.

"This is the power of healing. I know you'll use it wisely, Princess Mercury." The guardian said, with a grin. "Now go help Minako!"

"I will, and thanks." she said, smiling. Then she ran towards Minako. 

Ami ran as fast as she could to get to Minako and Makoto. Rei would probably be there too. She heard a rumbling sound from the other side of the arena. 

__

They must be announcing the next battle, she thought, continuing to run. _I'd better hurry. _

When she got to where the other 2 girls were waiting (Rei had left), the announcement was over. She would hear it soon anyway. She knelt beside Minako, and, without saying a word, gathered her strength, reaching inside herself to get the healing power. She then focused it to Minako. A pale blue light washed over Minako. When it faded, Minako said she felt a little better, but still couldn't get up. Ami's weak side took over her. _It won't work…it's all my fault! I'm always so weak! What do I do to help the senshi anyway?_

But then a surge of confidence came over her. _I can do this!_ She thought, and tried again.

__

Goddess of Mercury, Lend me your power for the good of this soul!

After concentrating, a blue, twinkling light washed down on Minako's body, covering her for a moment. Then a bright light flashed, and Minako's worst wounds were healed. She had the energy to sit up, and hugged Ami. 

"Thank you." She said, smiling, "Thanks, Ami!"

Ami quickly shooed her off, although she was glad Minako was okay. She instructed her to lie down and relax. Ami leaned back in her seat, making herself comfortable. The healing magic had taken away a lot of her power, she needed to rest and regain it. Much more healing, and she would have fainted. 

She then noticed eyes watching her. She looked up, and saw Makoto staring at her tensely. When she saw Ami was staring at her, she quickly turned away. Instead, she did her warm-up exercises. 

__

She must be battling next. Ami thought, _but whom? Who would make her that tense?_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Usagi whipped her hair behind her shoulders. She was very embarrassed from losing the battle. Usagi exaimined her wounds. Most had healed, and bruises were gone from her skin. She had changed out of her fuku, of course, and into loose, clean clothes. Usagi sat next to Mamoru as they waited for the next battle to begin. She could still participate again in the 'partners' and 'teams' rounds. _But…what if I lose again?!_

But after looking over at Mamoru, she became much more confidant.

__

We are future king and queen of the Moon Kingdom, and I'm the leader of the senshi! No doubt who'll win! 

But Usagi couldn't help but feel jealousy towards Minako. She had never really felt that way towards a close ally like Minako-it was a new, strange feeling. Like usual, she turned towards Mamoru and explained how she felt.

"…I just don't know what to say to her…" Usagi finished. "What will she say? What if we lose again, Mamochan? What if she becomes the leader and…kicks me out of the team? Mamochan…"

"Enough stupid questions, odango. I don't think Minako will be the leader, and even if she were, she wouldn't kick you out of the team! They can't! You have the power to unite them all!" Mamoru replied.

Usagi smiled. "You're right, Mamochan. They wouldn't. Thanks."^_^

~~~~~~~~~~

Makoto couldn't stop worrying…how could she stand defeating one of her closest friends…? She didn't like to underestimate people's strength-that's sometimes what boys did to her. And she didn't want to hurt Ami…although it wasn't always obvious; Makoto felt Ami was one of her best friends. Plus…everyone had always expected her to win…always. Pressure loomed over her.

But she had to stay calm…

She wondered if Ami knew…she seemed so calm…perhaps she had it all planned out… Ami was so intelligent…so caring and helpful (especially during homework!).

Then came the voice of the blond announcer:

"Next match! Ami vs. Makoto! Please come to the center arena to begin battle!" 

Ami was shocked. _Me…against Makoto?_ _That's why Makoto was so tense…_

"C'mon Ami!" Makoto called to her friend, trying to sound usually calm and even enthusiastic. "Let's go!"

Ami felt numb. She didn't want to do this…Her fear had been to fight one of her close friends…that were extremely difficult to avoid though, almost all her friends were competing here. 

As quickly and calmly as she could, she stood up and walked with Makoto to the center. 

Makoto stretched, waiting for some activity from Ami. Ami was using her minicomputer from Luna to go over Makoto's stats. She had expected Ami to do this. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ami was looking at the display of Makoto's stats, but not really paying attention to them. She already knew most of her friend's moves. She knew how Makoto acted in a fight, her battle pattern…

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Ready?" Makoto asked.

"Yes…" Ami responded quietly.

Makoto decided, after consideration, to just do what she always had. She had to look over the fact that Ami was her friend…it was a difficult task. She wasn't sure if it was a fair fight…but she couldn't just stand there…

Makoto decided to start out with a blast of her blinding attack: "Flower Hurricane!"

Okay! Not much action this time, but Ami learned how to heal! I've always thought she deserved healing more than Usagi, since she wants to be a doctor and stuff.

Well, part 4 will come out A LOT sooner! Promise! ^_^

(Hey, Sorry this came sooo late! With school, and my computer's hard drive having to be cleared, then not having the Internet for a while…I forgot. Not to mention I'm one of those people who start things and never finish them…)


	4. Finally! Ami vs. Makoto! And, Rei vs. Ma...

Strongest of the Senshi part 4

Strongest of the Senshipart 4

Makoto realized soon after that nothing was happening. 

_Oh shoot! I'm not Sailor Jupiter! I forgot I couldn't transform! Damn!_

"That's right, gals." A voice said above the two senshi. It was Sailor Pewter Fox, one of the sailor animates! "Ya can't use your little superpowers, not here anyway. So, you see, this is the _real_ power of strength! Let's see how tough you guys are without your stupid shields. Guess ya weren't listening to Zoicite earlier." She gave them an evil smirk, and then dissolved into the air.

_Now how am I supposed to win? _Ami thought, and then sighed._ Makoto is much better than me in physical combat! I guess…I'm useless without my powers. All I can do is runaway, and…_she recalled her new power. _Heal! But…wouldn't that be cheating if I healed myself? _She sighed again._ I've got to be strong! I'll figure this out! _

Makoto felt stupid. She should have remembered that she couldn't transform into Sailor Jupiter! _Ami would have remembered. She's always prepared for stuff like this. I guess I'm always pressuring myself to win…Sometimes I feel like everyone just expects me to win…ever since people found out my reputation of getting kicked out of school for fights. Because I'm strong, straightforward, and don't take crap from everyone. But, Amichan…she's always so determined, so hard working. It would be awful if she lost, cuz everyone just thinks she'll lose. I know she's stronger than that though… _

_ _

Ami gazed over at Makoto. What was she doing? It reminded her of Usagi daydreaming. Getting back to work at her strategy plan, Ami decided the only way to go was agility and brains. She'd have to dodge every offensive move Makoto made, then try to trick her and attack. Probably with jump kicks; Ami wasn't strong at punching, but she had strong legs from all her swimming. It would be a long, hard battle. Ami knew she was probably the most intelligent and best strategic planner of all the inner senshi (of course she wouldn't openly admit it!), but Makoto was so strong! She had trained in martial arts surely, and was probably fast too. Ami was uncertain her attacks would do much damage, but trying was the important thing! 

Ami breathed deeply and paid close attention to Makoto. This was it. The battle was on!

"Hiya!" Makoto shouted with a loud cry. She lunged towards Ami with great speed and a powerful chop. 

Ami darted to the side, just missing the attack. Ami took a brief sigh of relief, but then went back to concentrating. Letting her guard down would mean losing!

Makoto scowled. _Ami's quicker than I thought!_ She then turned a did a double spin kick. 

Ami's eyes widened. _Makoto is so good at this! Maybe I should have taken karate lessons with Rei instead of chess…?_

_ _

Ami dodged, and dodged. _My strategy is getting old._ She decided to herself. _I need more offensive power!_

After another double kick from Makoto, Ami sprung up into the air and slammed Makoto down. 

However, physically Ami wasn't as strong as Makoto; Her attack hit, but didn't really slam Makoto. On instinct, Makoto did a high kick, which hit Ami and caused her to fall on her side on the arena's floor.

I was totally vulnerable to that attack! Ami thought, sides aching. I screwed up…my strategy failed…how silly I was to think I could actually hurt Makoto, she's so strong! So much stronger than me…

Suddenly Ami realized what she was doing. She was putting herself down! Making herself weak! The healing powers came to her mind and she quickly focused on them. In a sparkle of crystal blue light, Ami was back to normal, with only a few bruises. 

"Wow, Ami!" Makoto cheered, smiling. However, she blamed herself again in her thoughts. "Damn…" she muttered under her breath. She felt very stupid not to remember Ami's healing powers. "Oh well. I can't blame her. I'll just give it all I've got."

The familiar spiral of the delicate cheery blossoms filled he air, with Zoicite in the midst of them once again. He scowled at Ami before saying, "I don't really think you're playing fair, Mercury." Motioning his hand, the blue glimmer from the Mercury's guardian faded, and in its place a dark light flashed. "Healing yourself just seems like cheating to me…" he let out a slightly annoying laugh, "So I've temporarily disabled them." Winking, he said, "Remember, no spells allowed. I wanna see a good fight." Before the girls could protest he disappeared in another whirl of petals.

"Damn him," Makoto growled.

"That's okay," Ami shrugged, feeling only slightly disappointed. "I would feel like I was cheating if I had kept using them."

Makoto shrugged. "Whatever," she replied, rubbing the spot where Ami had hit her. "Let's get this over with!"

After blur of fighting, with Makoto usually serving up the hits, and Ami dodging them, the battle was still not won. Ami had taken about 3 hits, Makoto, 2. 

I could finish her, probably. Makoto thought, studying her opponent. Using some of my best uppercuts and whirlwind kicks. Yeah, that would work, but…can I really stand beating her? Maybe Rei or Minako, but Ami…it just doesn't seem right. 

After a moment, Ami confidently strode over to Makoto. She breathed deeply and said, "Makoto, I could never stand beating you…" she looked up at Makoto. "I'm not giving up, but…" she looked beyond Makoto now, "I'm not afraid to lose. I have to admit I can't compete with you this way. The battle is yours."

She said with a slightly increased volume, "You are the strongest senshi this round."

Makoto sighed. "Amichan, you are so mature!" she looked at her friend, "You are obviously the strongest senshi. However, I think this match comes to tie."

"Tie!" Makoto cried out to the crowd. "It's a tie!"

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Zoicite sighed, staring out at the senshi in the balcony for the sports announcers and other onlookers. "I wanted a real battle," he stared over towards Jedite, "Not some stupid tie."

Jedite scowled. "Yeah, yeah, but at least we'll have all the senshi's identities now…and their powers. It's worth it." He snickered, "Besides, it's cool to watch the senshi almost kill each other!"

"Yeah, when they actually fight." Zoicite remarked, twirling a piece of his long hair between his fingers.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

"It wasn't really a fair match anyways," Minako commented, "You're equally matched."

"We both win this way though," Ami smiled, "We deserve it."

"It was cool fighting you though," Makoto said to Ami with a wink, "You were pretty good. In round three, we can be a team."

Suddenly Rei ran up to them. "Hi, guys!" she greeted, "I think I'm up next!"

"Really?" Ami asked, "Against who?"

Rei looked distressed. "I'm not sure! You have all paired up. The outer senshi will probably fight against the starlights, Chibiusa against ChibiChibi…"

"Hotaru then?" Minako guessed, counting off the senshi.

"No," Ami replied, the outers pair in teams of four against the starlights. And Sailor Kakyuu will be with the starlights, making their team come to four senshi."

"Then the only one left," Makoto finished, "Is Mamoru-kun."

"Oh, great." Rei muttered. "How am I going to fight the guy I had a crush on?"

"It's cool," Makoto assured her, "You always said how much better you were at martial arts…"

"Yeah," Rei replied, "I'll beat him. He's just a guy, after all."

With that, Rei walked off towards a secluded area away from the bleachers to train.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Oh, Mamochan!" Usagi awed, examining her hot boyfriend with glee, "It will be so amazing to see you battle! You are an excellent warrior!" she drooled.

"I guess, Usako…" he began, doing some warm up exercises, "But fighting a girl makes me feel awkward. Maybe if it was one of the starlights as male, but Rei?" he sighed. "She's not really the tough type. Not like Makoto anyway."

"Oh, don't worry about Rei, she'll be fine," Usagi waved her hand as if she were shooing the problem away. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rei scowled to herself as she preformed some finishing stretches. 

Mamoru…

Her little crush on Mamoru was nothing big. Nothing like her love for Yuuichirou or Kaidou. Still, he was a cute guy. One she would have trouble facing. And to fight him… Not like she was afraid of a few roses, but what if he pulled that trick with Usagi? 

Well, she thought, this will be a good way to put him behind me. This will prove I no longer have even the slightest crush on Mamoru, and I don't mind beating the crap out of even a hot guy.

"Next match, Rei vs. Mamoru, come to the center!" came her cue to start walking to the arena.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Excellent," Jedite remarked, observing the two contestants walk to the center, "I'll finally get that caped freak's power!"

"I don't understand," Kunzite said as he walked into the room, "They know this is a trap, so why don't they try to leave or something?"

"Simple. I've made it so they can't." Zoicite replied, smiling deviously. 

"It's totally sealed off. The earthlings see only the arena's disguise on their planet, which is a closed down building. This whole arena is surrounded by negative energy that'll absorb any positive energy put against it." Zoicite explained, staring out at the contestants preparing for battle. 

"Yeah," Jedite continued, "And the 'crowd' are really just droids." 

"You really had this cleverly planned," Kunzite scowled, "I'm surprised it's going so well."

"Guess the senshi like to fight each other to resolve conflicts or something, I really don't give as long as I can get their power," Jedite snickered. "Well, better start the battle," he said wickedly as he reached for his announcer microphone.

"It looks better then that last one," Zoicite commented, as he didn't care for Tuxedo Kamen either and would like to see him get beat up.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"FIGHT!" came the cry of the announcer's voice through the speakers.

"Ready?" Mamoru asked Rei. He didn't want to rush into the battle.

"You bet! Let's go!" Rei shouted back to him. She was ready for the challenge. 

"IYAH!" Rei cried, rushing up to Mamoru and swiftly bringing up her right leg. "Flame Heel Drop!" she yelled, dropping her leg down in axe kick style, and slamming the heel of her black school shoe on his head. Then she quickly brought her leg back, and jumped away.

Mamoru groaned as he held his head. He hadn't remembered seeing that move before. He quickly recovered so he could fight back. 

Mamoru decided this was the time to put his martial arts skills to work. 

"YAH!" he shouted, and begin a hand-to-hand combat with Rei. Rei was talented at martial arts herself, so the battle went on this way for several minutes. 

Finally Mamoru made a hard blow Rei couldn't manage to block or dodge. She was thrown down on the ground within contact of the hit.

Mamoru knew this was his chance to move in. If he gave her a chance to get up, the battle would keep on going, and there was a chance he could lose. But something held him back. As he looked at her trying to get up, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her again. He just wasn't like that. It didn't seem right to hit a girl, even a fairly strong girl like Rei. 

"Yeah! Go, Mamochan! You have her now!J"

He knew the voice right away. It was his girlfriend, Usagi. The one girl he was truly in love with and devoted to. He couldn't let differences of gender get in his way. A fight was a fight, and he fought like a true warrior. He cleared his mind and concentrated on the battle before him. 

"Hey!" Rei yelled, standing now, "Look what you did to my outfit!" 

Mamoru just kind of smirked. "Let's finish this."

Rei was almost shocked. He seemed so serious when he said that, she thought, allowing herself to be sucked in by his deep blue eyes. She stood there for a moment, just staring.

"Well?" he asked, walking towards her, "What do you say?"

He grabbed a rose from his jacket. It gleamed a sparkling gold, and her eyes were drawn to it. Mamoru drew it closer towards Rei. 

"Reichan…" he whispered to her, "I know what you want…"

Rei looked at him and smiled. 

She put her hand around the rose's bud, and clenched it into a fist. When she took her hand away, the bud had been scorched down to smoldering ashes.

"Good," she replied, "Then you already know I want kick your butt."

He scowled at her.

"This battle's mine. I can't have a loss on my record!" she smiled, "Besides, did you really think you could charm me?"

"I knew that couldn't fool you. But, it's obvious you're still attracted to me," he replied.

Rei looked away from him, and instead of responding she threw a punch at him.

He blocked and pulled two red roses from his jacket. He threw both of them at her. 

Rei dodged them, and dashed away. 

For a while, Mamoru lost sight of her. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him, and spun around quickly to face it. An arrow was coming towards him. He managed to grab it in his hand as it came within his reach. He broke it in half and discarded it on the ground. 

Rei now held a long bow and a fistful of arrows. "From archery class at school," she explained, winking, "I had it with me, fortunately."

Mamoru sighed. "This is getting way out of hand," he decided. He gathered up his power, and a dark flash blinded everyone temporarily. When it ended, Mamoru had gathered a large amount of energy in his hands. 

"Tuxedo!" he cried, "The Smoking Bomber!"

The blast, which he usually needed to be Tuxedo Kamen to use, came at Rei. It was too large to dodge...too vast. And she definitely didn't have enough strength to block something like that. So down she fell, feeling defeated and deprived of her fighting spirit.

Mamoru felt sorry for her…almost. Until he saw Usagi, that is. His girlfriend was shouting with joy. "Mamochan!! ^_^ Yeah! You rock!"

But Rei was not so easily beaten. She staggered to her feet, struggling to get up. 

Mamoru felt a sharp pain in his leg. He looked down. An arrow had striked him in the leg. He looked at the sniper, Rei, crouched down and aiming. "So, she isn't finished, eh?" he remarked, preparing to finish her off…

"A tie between Ami & Makoto! Who'll win: Rei or Mamoru? The victor in Strongest of the Senshi, part 5! Now stay tuned for a preview of next time's events!"

**Preview:**

"Mamochan!" Usagi called. She wanted to fight with him, to help him win. Rei was close to her, but she couldn't stand to see Mamoru beaten. 

Mamoru could no longer perform his smoking bomber attack. The power wouldn't come to him. His martial arts were worthless against Rei. And roses? Good against idiotic youma, and distractions, but nothing more. What was left? Usagi could help…

And afterwards:

"Now!" the announcer called, "The battle of the kawaii! Chibiusa vs. Chibichibi! Go to the center at once!"

Author's Note: Yeah, I know, the long awaited battle of Jupiter turned out a tie. She'll get to show her real fighting power in the group battles though; I'll make sure of that. I just couldn't let Ami go down because she was physically weaker, because she's a lot smarter than Makoto. They're pretty equal that way. Anywayz, group battles will start after Chibiusa vs. Chibichibi's battle. ^_^ Okay, hope you're still enjoying & interested in the story! 

_ _


End file.
